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 GAME FLOW
TORONTO (AP) -- Vince Carter sent a loud message to the New York Knicks: Beware in the first round.
Carter scored 34 points and the Raptors showed they're ready for
a possible first-round matchup against the Knicks with a convincing
86-71 victory Friday night.
Carter shot a stellar 14-for-19 from the field, making an
assortment of long-range jumpers, while Antonio Davis added 17
points on 8-of-13 shooting and Tracy McGrady had 11 points and nine rebounds.
"This feels good. It gives us confidence but we still need to
win games," Carter said. "Just as easily as we won this game we
could have lost the game. We just have to continue to work on our
confidence."
Patrick Ewing had 16 points for the Knicks, who had their two-game winning streak snapped as they missed a chance to move into a tie with Miami atop the Atlantic Division.
"We were back on our heals but that's my fault. I don't have
them working as a team," Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "They
were knocking us down. We were standing around. Carter and their
physical presence was the difference.
"He knows that we know that we don't want to play him," Van
Gundy said.
The Raptors won the season series 3-1, with all the victories
coming by decisive margins. If the playoffs were to start now, the
Knicks (No. 3) and Toronto (No. 6) would face each other in the
opening round.
Toronto is 2½ games ahead of seventh-place Detroit in the
conference.
"I'm disappointed in the way that we lost. The last three times
it seemed like they kicked our butts and they have our number,"
Ewing said. "They played like they were very confident. We just
have to play a lot better."
Davis set the tone on a number of strong drives to the net and
had 10 points in the first quarter as Toronto led 28-11.
The Raptors finished the quarter on a 9-0 run when Allan Houston
took a needless foul with 1.3 seconds left on Dell Curry's 3-point
attempt. Curry knocked down all three free throws.
"This was a team effort. Everybody was getting the job done
tonight and it made it easier for me," Carter said. "It helped
that Antonio helped get things going. They had to worry about the
whole team today."
Although Carter was held to just two points in the first, he stormed back with 13 straight points in the second quarter, all of them coming on long jumpers to give Toronto a 41-22 lead with 4:52 left in the half.
The Knicks' 27 points was the lowest first-half total by an opponent in Raptors history.
Things didn't get any better for the Knicks, who fell behind by 26 in the third quarter.
New York began a 6-0 run with 4:26 left in the quarter to make it 59-39, but Ewing had his shot blocked by McGrady and Latrell
Sprewell missed a wide-open dunk.
Carter then scored on a layup, ending the Knicks' only challenge of the game.
Sprewell had only six points for New York on 3-of-13 shooting.
Marcus Camby had 11 points and 12 rebounds but four turnovers, and Kurt Thomas had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
New York had 19 turnovers to Toronto's five and shot a miserable 11-of-19 from the line.
Game notes
The Knicks' lowest output this season was 70 in Toronto on
Feb. 15. They scored 25 in the second half of that game. ... Doug Christie did not play for the fifth straight game but is expected to be back on Sunday against the Bulls. ... Kevin Willis returned
to the lineup after missing one game with a sore knee. ... The
Knicks visit Cleveland on Saturday. ... Camby, who was drafted by
the Raptors in 1996, was booed when he entered the game with 3:12
left in the first quarter. ... Carter didn't get his first basket
until 32.9 seconds remained in the first quarter. ... The Knicks'
11 points was the lowest first-quarter output by a Raptor opponent
this season. ... Knicks forward John Wallace was activated off the injured list before the game and guard Brandon Williams was released.
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AUDIO/VIDEO
 Vince Carter is happy with the Raptors' play going into the playoffs.
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